We'll call you. Or not.
Have you ever noticed that certain things which once were a pleasure have now become a pain? Teenaged girls, especially in the 1960s and '70s were tethered to the telephone. We simply couldn't get enough of talking on the phone to friends we had just spent all day with at school. Or sometimes, not talking; sometimes just "hanging on the line," maybe listening to records with a friend who lived only just a few houses down. When it came to talking to boys, that was a complication in itself.
With 3 daughters, our parents got fed up with us tying up the home phone and got us a "kids' line" - in the upstairs hallway, no privacy whatsoever and nowhere to sit. Well, we did sit on the floor and put our feet up on the wall. That really drove Mother nuts!
Of course, things were very different, as far as usage. We could talk as long as we wanted - no minutes to count - but we couldn't make long distance calls to our band camp friends. Family members and adult friends called the main home line. I vaguely remember there being a phone curfew.
When I moved away from home there were times I didn't even had a phone and went across the street to the Safeway to call my parents. Anyone who wanted to talk to me just stopped by my apartment. With the advent of cell phones, mostly for business at first, I was a pretty late adopter. Still, had to watch those minutes and long distance charges. So right... for a good bit of my childhood and into my adulthood, it was all about the land line phone.
But recently, I've had a revelation. Are you ready to hear it? Okay:
I HATE TALKING ON THE TELEPHONE!!!
The chit-chat, the catch-up, the just checking-in, the killing time while you're driving somewhere and my most dreaded scenario, the toilet call. I can guarantee if you need a potty break while we are talking, we have been on the phone way too long.
The opening gambit of "Hey, whatcha doing?" makes my blood run cold. The answer is nothing, I'm doing nothing whatsoever. And I don't want to talk about that. Or, "Hey, how are you feeling?" Pretty much the same. Not great, but not awful. But it's really boring to talk about. There's also telling long convoluted stories about people I don't know. And sorry... don't care! It's not that I'm not interested in you; if you have something important to share, please, by all means, call me and tell me.
If something is going on, I'll post it on Facebook and even then, that's for my amusement as much as yours. If something serious is going on, same. I'd rather share any news all at one time to everyone who needs to know.
Also, as I often mention on Facebook, I nap. A lot. Several times a day, in the bed and under the covers. Phone calls that interrupt the napping - not good. I'd rather get a text that I can read at my convenience - but we, as a group of phone users, beg for that immediate gratification. If I don't answer a text right away, should you just keep on texting me? NO! Unless your hair is on fire, it can wait. And really, for that, you should call 911.
Sorry if I sound cranky about this. I'm really not. But how can you know my preferences if I don't tell you? Please feel free to let me know what works for you. Right now? I'm going to take a nap!